Lacrosse is a contact sport in which players attempt to shoot a ball past a goaltender into a goal located on the playing field. All of the players, including the goaltender, carry a lacrosse stick. The lacrosse stick is used to catch, hold and then subsequently shoot the ball. Further, the lacrosse stick may be used by a defenseman to check an opposing player or attempt to knock the ball from his or her lacrosse stick.
A lacrosse stick is composed of a shaft with a head located on one end thereof. The head includes a frame with a generally open aperture that is covered by a mesh. The mesh is provided in such a manner that the ball may be caught or cradled therein. The shaft of the lacrosse stick is an elongated, hollow member made from a strong material such as aluminum, titanium or a composite. The shaft has a circumference that includes one or more flat surfaces in order to afford better gripping thereof. For example, the shaft may have an octagonal cross-sectional shape. The shaft is generally cut by the retailer of the lacrosse stick to a length desired by the user. An end cap is placed on the butt end of the lacrosse stick to prevent it from damaging other players or objects that come into contact therewith. The butt end of the lacrosse stick is the end of the shaft opposite the end to which the head is attached. The end cap is frictionally fit onto the butt end of the lacrosse stick and is made out of a soft material such as rubber.
In use, a player generally holds the lacrosse stick with one hand at the butt end of the shaft and the other hand at a point along the shaft proximate to the head of the lacrosse stick. This hand positioning allows the head of the lacrosse stick to be desirably positioned for catching, cradling, and sometimes throwing the ball. When no ball is present in the head, the center of gravity of the lacrosse stick is located generally at the same location as the hand of the player proximate to the head when holding the lacrosse stick. However, once a ball is present in the head, the center of gravity of the lacrosse stick is no longer present along the shaft but is instead located at some point within the head. It may become more difficult for a player to use the lacrosse stick when the center of gravity is located away from his or her hand. As such, there remains room for variation and improvement within the art.
Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the invention.